That was a low ball value. But you need to understand many dealers are lost once you leave their area of interest. A dealer in rifles and handguns may have almost no real knowledge in doubles in general and British doubles at all. So when asked they pull a number out of their....well you know where. Two real numbers in life. What would they give you cash and what would they charge you if they owned it. Thats why so many of us watch auction sales to see what real number guns are bringing. Right now many doubles are very soft but quality always sells.
You need to order some RST ammo and enjoy that gun. Use proper ammo, not too heavy factory American ammo. It looks like it should be a real pleasure to shoot.
Yeah, I know how gun dealers work, Ive traded and bought/sold a lot over the years and have tended to avoid them when possible.
This particular dealer has a brick-and-mortar store and a significant presence online; they specialize in classic arms and have some pretty neat stuff in their store (including some L.C. Smiths). I talked to one friendly fellow there when I was in the area a few weeks ago who seemed very knowledgeable about my gun, and from looking at the pics I had at the time estimated a value of as much as $2500-$3500. I thought that was way too high, and some of the defects in the gun didnt show in those pics.
So, I took the gun back to that shop this week. That fellow wasnt there, but another guy looked at it, contradicted my research as to its vintage, talked about all of the defects, dismissed the gunmaker, and gave me a value of $450. The guys there the second time were not as friendly; perhaps I smelled bad or something.
They also made a laughably low offer on two pistols I had for sale/trade. Laughably low even for a dealer; they offered me $450 for the pair, and I immediately went across town to a different dealer and got $750.
Honestly, I thought when I bought the Moore&Grey that the value was probably in the $1000-$1500 arena.
Am I correct that this gun was made between 1904-1917?
